Fountain police shoot active duty soldier Stephen Payne

“A man who was shot by a Fountain Police officer after threatening family members with a gun has been identified as a 34-year-old Fort Carson soldier.

Stephen Payne was shot by an officer in the 800 block of Daffodil Street just before 1:00 a.m. August 12th.

Fountain Deputy Chief Bill Elder tells KRDO NewsChannel 13 that officers responded to a domestic violence case and a man with a gun. Police say the man, now identified as Payne, fired one shot inside the house while a woman and two young kids were inside.

When police arrived, the incident continued in the front yard. Payne would not respond to the officer’s commands and refused to drop his weapon, according to police. Police say that Payne reached for his handgun, prompting the officer to fire at Payne, striking him multiple times.

“I heard about 5 gun shots and then I heard somebody yell,” said Richard Giles, a neighbor. “In fact, it sounded like he was crying, so he was definitely in pain.”

Payne remains at a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. The other family members are safe and uninjured.